


The Chosen One's Chains

by Locks_and_keys



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Goddess!Lena, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Oh my god they were gods..., Someone better draw fanart, knight!kara
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:33:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24142129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Locks_and_keys/pseuds/Locks_and_keys
Summary: Lena is called upon by the Gods to bear witness to the battles and bloodshed of the humans. Being the Goddess of war, you would think she'd be used to it by now, but a darkness has been brewing since Lex Luthor took the throne. He even claims to have a secret weapon among his ranks, a chosen one by which no weapon can be injured. When Lena answers the call of the Gods just outside the Luthor army's camp, she expects it to go the same way it always does, but instead she meets Kara Danvers.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 20
Kudos: 151





	1. They meet

The goddess of war is walking in the forest far away from any mortals when she hears it. A call. It's a low, rich call. There is a war brewing, and the gods are sending her to bear witness. Lena isn’t surprised. It was only a matter of time with the new King Luthor on the throne in the northern kingdom. He was an ambitious and bloodthirsty king, seeking to expand his borders. There had already been several battles. She could smell the spilled blood on the wind, hear the cries of the soldiers in her dreams. She had even heard of a weapon the king possessed. A soldier in his ranks who he claimed was blessed by the gods. No weapon could pierce the soldier’s skin, nor sword cut. A soldier apparently possessing the strength of a hundred men. It sounded more like a curse in Lena’s opinion.

She submits to the call, letting herself travel miles across the land in an instant to wherever the gods are pulling her. She comes into being somewhere very far away from her forest, materializing fully and taking in the light around her.

She’s on a tall hill overlooking the seashore. The sea breeze blows, biting and cold. It moves the dune grass in ripples across the landscape. The birds scuttle along the sand down by the water and run from the cold ocean waves. The clouds paint the sky a pearly grey, not a patch of blue for miles. Beyond the dunes, she sees the smoke going up from where the Luthor army has set up camp. The red and blue flags fly high over the tents. There is not a battle here. Lena senses peace in the hearts of the men of the camp, so she is confused as to why she has been called here, until she senses a presence in the forest in the opposite direction of the water. It’s strong and seems to call out to her. Lena rolls her eyes skyward in annoyance at the gods’ lack of geographical precision. They always make her hike towards the final destination.

“Could you not have just taken me straight there?” She mutters, throwing on her cloak hood in annoyance as she begins to trek inland toward the presence. Her robes of darkness and ash billow in the wind.

\---

She doesn’t have to walk for long before the sound of the waves stop reaching her and the smell of salt in the air fades. The trees stretch up all around her here, becoming thick around their middles as the birds and other forest creatures move about on their bows. The sounds of the forest overtake her as she steps carefully over moss covered logs and roots that stick up out of the ground. The landscape makes her think of her own forest, and another quip of annoyance runs through her mind at the fact that she would much rather be strolling through the pines back home than running another errand for the gods. Is it not enough that she bears witness to the battles of man?

The call grows more insistent the deeper into the forest she walks, it’s almost as if it’s pressing against the back of her eyes. Whatever she is being led towards, it must be important. The last time she heard a call this strong was when Lex Luthor took the throne, an event that had powerful aftershocks for the fate of the whole kingdom. She leans up against a tree to still herself for a moment, thinking on this and feeling a bit overwhelmed. She takes a breath, leans back against the rough bark of the tree, and listens for the voice of the gods, reasoning that she would like more of an explanation as to what she is about to walk into.

Softly, she begins to hear them all in her mind, whispering at once. Their voices clashing against one another in a chaotic chorus. It’s as if they are all in a busy tavern with the door left open, and Lena has just walked by on the street outside. Some speak at her, while some seem busy with their own affairs, so it takes a bit of concentration for her to hear anything of meaning. She is about to accept that no one seems to want to answer her, but then she hears the soft voice of the sun god, Rao. They speak to her as if they are very far away, or underwater. She has to focus her mind very sharply to catch it. ‘Walk on, young goddess’. They say. It isn’t really an answer, just encouragement.

So Lena walks on. She walks for quite some time, until finally she reaches a small clearing. She is about to step out into it before she sees a single figure, standing tall near its center. She ducks behind a tree before taking a second look. It appears to be a blonde knight, who faces away from her and stands at attention, clad in armor that shines like river water catching the sun. From what she can see, they’re broad in the shoulders, feet spread in a sturdy stance with a sword at their hip. The breeze blows the wisps of the knight’s golden hair as it hangs freely about their shoulders. The call has become almost painful, coiling behind her ears like a hot brand, making the blood pound in her veins. Lena steps out of the shadows of the treeline, standing tall as she lowers the hood of her robe. Although she hasn’t yet made a sound, the knight stiffens as if they know she is there. The call immediately stops. They do not turn to face her, but their hand reaches for the sword hilt at their waist. Lena almost laughs at the motion. Mortal weapons cannot harm her.

Suddenly the wind carries a great many of the gods’ voices into Lena’s ears, and they speak in multitude, their collective speech moving along with her thoughts. ‘Approach the knight, goddess of war.’ It seems like an order as opposed to a suggestion. Lena does not like to be told what to do, especially by gods who use her for errands, but she is immensely curious as to why the gods have seen fit to intervene and bring her here, to meet a mortal. Very rarely will more than one speak to her directly, and almost never in unison, not since the day they told her of her purpose. Because of these things, Lena feels further hesitation would be unwise, and without a second thought she strides confidently into the clearing towards the knight, coming to a stop a few steps away. The knight seems to take a deep breath before they turn to face her.

Lena’s breath stops short as she looks upon the most beautiful woman she has ever seen. Bewildered blue eyes burn like comets as they catch the sunlight, framed by delicate fair eyebrows that arch in surprise. High cheekbones are dusted with a slight blush of freckles, which blends perfectly with the golden warm undertones of her unblemished skin. The curve of her jawline is handsomely prominent as her mouth falls open slightly, and her head tilts to the right as she takes in Lena’s appearance. Her red lips then pull down in a pensive and nervous frown. They stare at each other for a few seconds, both drinking in the appearance of the other. Lena stands taller with her shoulders back, letting the presence of her divinity overflow into the air between them. She is pleased when she senses the hair on the back of the mortal’s neck stand on end, even more so when her heart rate is elevated in the slightest.

“Are you the goddess of war?” The knight asks in an awed voice that is strong but warm, like a hearth fire in winter. Lena is taken back by the mortal’s forwardness, since her appearances to mortals in the past usually results in their cowering and loss of speech for a great while. This mortal is either very brave, or very stupid. Lena decides on brave as she hears that the mortal’s heartbeat has not slowed, and rewards her bravery with a charming smile.

“Ahh,” she pauses to eye the mortal up and down slowly, wolfish smile still in place, “She speaks.” To Lena’s amusement the mortal blushes at this and seems to falter. Her hand grips again at her sword hilt and she stands up straighter, clearing her throat as a determined look flashes across her perfect features.

“I was called here to meet the goddess of war.” She says. Lena raises an eyebrow at her. Called? Does she mean by the gods? Lena has never known the gods to call a mortal, save for the old heroes in legend. This bit of information does nothing to soothe her annoyance towards them today. “If you are the goddess of war,” the knight continues, pulling Lena out of her thoughts, “then I would like to know if it was you who created me.” The knight looks at her hopefully. At this, Lena’s smile falls a bit, her eyebrows knit in confusion. Then it dawns on her as she takes in the perfect, unmared skin, and her smile returns.

“Are you the one whose skin can, by no mortal weapon, be cut?” She asks in a lilting tease, taking a few steps and beginning to circle around the knight. The knight follows her with her head and not her feet, craning her neck to look over her shoulder at her before she circles back to the front, golden hair wiping over her shoulder like a shower of sparks.

“So it was not you who created me?” The knight asks, ignoring her question as her mouth presses into a disappointed line. Her tone now sounds a bit dejected, and her shoulders fall like the wind going out of a sail. Lena gives her an apologetic shrug.

“As much as I would like to take credit for a specimen as glorious as you, I am not a goddess of creation.” She replies simply. If the tips of the knights ears turn red at this, Lena does not notice. Lena is not sure why the mortal is inquiring about the circumstance of her genesis, given that she appears to be created quite wonderfully in her opinion. Adding to the thought, most mortals would kill to have her gifts and would not think to inquire any particular reason why. How curious.

“You said you were called here to meet me?” She questions, drawing her shoulders back and tilting her head to the side to give the knight an appraising look. The knight’s eyes widen slightly and she seems to rouse from her stupor.

“The voices of the gods came to me in the night. They simply instructed me to come here and walk no further until you arrived. I had assumed it was so that you could answer my inquiry.” Lena can’t help but be charmed by the woman. There was something about the way her demeanor could go from cloudy to jumpy and nervous.

“Well,” she sighs with a wave of her hand, trailing ash and embers through the air with her finger absentmindedly as she does, “I am sorry to disappoint.” The knight grips her sword hilt again, opening her mouth and closing it a few times as she works up the nerve to respond.

“I would not be so quick to call meeting the goddess of war a disappointment,” she says carefully, watching Lena closely in case she offends, “If I may be so bold, the stories do not do you justice.” Lena is used to aimless praise from mortals, but hearing such from the attractive knight makes her wonder what other praises she can sing. Lena leans forward into the knight’s space and trails the tip of her pointer finger over the large metal crest covering her chest plate. The knight stands rigid at this, breathing all but stopped as she stands taught like a bow string about to snap.

“Beautiful words,” Lena drawls, “from a beautiful mouth.” She places one finger underneath the knight’s chin and raises it slightly, the blue eyes of the mortal frantically snapping to her own. “What is your name?” The knight’s throat bobs with a swallow and her eyes darken just the slightest.

“Kara, M’lady.” The knight answers, voice thick. Lena smiles at this and scoffs before biting her lip in amusement. Of course. Out of all the names she could have had by chance, fate just had to give her one that means ‘beloved’.

Lena steps back abruptly and looks at the other end of the clearing in the direction she came, hearing the wind carry the sound of horns coming from the far away camp by the shore. The Luthor army has given the order to regroup. She turns to warn Kara, but is surprised to see her already facing that direction, listening intently. She can’t possibly hear it, can she? Lena muses. Only gods can hear at this range. But Kara’s shoulders seem to set, her determined look returning as she looks across the clearing.

“I believe that is your cue, Kara.” The goddess says softly. Kara holds her stare for a few seconds, something almost akin to hesitation flashing in her eyes, before she bows respectfully to Lena.

“It was wonderful to meet you, goddess of war.” She says hurriedly as she straightens, eyes darting from her to the end of the clearing nervously.

“If you are Kara, then I am Lena.” She says. A smile creeps onto Kara’s face, her blue eyes sparkling.

“It was wonderful to meet you, Lena.” She corrects before breaking into an incredibly fast run, disappearing quickly behind the tree line without another word. Lena feels herself being called back to her forest and tries, (but ultimately fails), to forget how pleasant it was to hear her name spoken out loud by the knight.


	2. watching from afar

Lena has only been given a moment's peace before she is dragged back into the affairs of the gods. Within the week she is called back to the shore, to the base of the Luthor army. The pines that surround her in her lovely forest shift and become different trees, the kind that grow by the sea. The grass beneath her feet blurs and becomes wretched white sand. The cold wind whips and with an annoyed growl, Lena begins to walk toward the woods where the army resides, forever cursing the gods for putting her just out of reach of her intended location. 

To further her surprise, the call involves Kara. Or, involves watching Kara like any other soldier, that is. But she can’t help it if the blonde catches her eye more than the rest. Not only in looks, or the way she seems drawn to her still, like she’s being pulled towards the knight by some other force, but because Kara seems to appear everywhere she looks. Lena hides among the treeline besides the camp at first, out of sight as the soldiers pack up their tents and tend to their horses, listening to the voices of the gods as she observes. The camp appears to be moving, and the gods, as usual, are offering no explanations for why she’s here observing it. Typical day in the life of a young goddess. 

The rest of the soldiers, for their part, appear to call on Kara for most of the work. Heavy lifting doesn’t appear to be difficult for the army’s chosen one, Lena sees. Kara doesn’t seem inconvenienced in the slightest at their constant need of her, even when they pull her towards many tasks at once. She makes herself available to help at every turn, whether it’s lifting an entire armory wagon up over rocky terrain where it got stuck after a few miles down the trail, breaking through thick brush in their path, or slinging a large tent canvas over her shoulder when a fellow knight that was carrying it falls in the mud. Kara just laughs, smiling bright as she claps the brunette fellow on the back and continues to walk with him for a few more miles. 

Kara and the man appear to be friends, laughing and making jokes as they travel. His smile is almost as bright as hers and they make easy conversation that Lena hears pieces of. The pair doesn’t look miss matched next to each other, despite the way the man’s mud covered armor is outshone by the bright chainmail of Kara’s. She’s wearing less of it today, but the same crest that Lena’s fingertips had traced sits polished squarely on her chest, gleaming even in the overcast day. 

The call towards Kara is almost as strong as it was the day before. It sits on Lena’s skin, uncomfortable and a bit distracting. Like having the sun in your eyes. It might be Lena’s imagination, but every time Kara appears back into her line of sight, the knight seems to falter in her conversation, standing up straighter and looking in Lena’s direction. Blue eyes wandering from the face of her friend, the smile on her lips quirking. Could she be feeling it too, as she had during their first encounter? Have the gods been giving her the clear answers that they deprive Lena of? The thought is unwelcome and leaves her with a threat of feeling embittered. 

The pair is later joined by a knight taller than the two, standing boldly in fuller armor with a purple tunic that contrasts his dark skin. He laughs like Kara and grins like the other man, taking some of the tent poles from Kara to carry even though after miles of walking Kara still seems unburdened by their weight. Lena recognizes him from the last battle she observed at the border. A strong warrior, that one.

Lena then realizes with a start that she can’t place most of the men and women here from the previous battles she witnessed in the last months near the border of the next kingdom over. Out of curiosity, Lena lets her divinity take over, and inhales the scent of the army. 

The taller knight smells of bloodshed undoubtably. 

Kara positively reeks of it. It’s so strong that the goddess flinches from her far away path in the trees. She must have killed hundreds since the war started. How had Lena never seen her in battle? Is that not something she should be called to witness?

The wind changes, and another scent from Kara hits her lungs, and Lena frowns. The smell of death is unpleasant, but it’s something Lena is very used to at this point. What sets the goddess’ mouth into a firm grimace, however, is that Kara reeks not only of death, but of the unbearable _pain_ that comes with it. Kara the beloved cannot be hurt, it appears. She is clearly the one the goddess of war has been hearing about, with her display of strength and her lack of fatigue, which means the pain that Lena smells is on the inside. 

It appears King Lex has sent her among an inexperienced troop. To lead and fight and kill for him. To expand his lands. Lena’s wrath burns in her stomach, humming in the air, her robe smoking when she sees Kara smile brightly at something the taller knight says. Someone who smiles like that should not stink of pain like Kara does. The call to Kara presses down on Lena, suddenly intense. Kara’s smile drops, and her head whips toward where Lena hides far away and out of sight from the mortal army. Lena ducks to peer from behind a tree, watching as Kara’s blue eyes scan the treeline curiously before she eases back into conversation with her two friends, eyes darting in Lena’s direction as the army continues its march.

\--- 

The army travels for most of the day, until they come to another clearing and start to make camp once more, tents spreading out in every direction while the sound of hammers on spikes ring through the air with hoofsteps from the tired horses. They start fires and settle into conversations, gathering around to prepare for nightfall, and soon the sounds of travel and camp making die down.

Lena watches from the new treeline, finally having lost sight of Kara as she now observes an older woman with short hair, who Lena assumes to be the captain by the symbols on her armor. The woman stands tall, barking direct orders at the tired soldiers as they go about setting up a training area near the west side of camp, a fighting ring of sorts. She smells of bloodshed too, almost as much as Kara, but not of pain, only worry. With her hands on her hips she watches the soldiers with dark eyes and directs them through setting up and raising an armory tent. 

Kara is back soon though, appearing by the captain’s side where she oversees the men driving the spikes into the ground. The captain’s shoulders relax just a fraction, and she nods easily at Kara in greeting. Kara gives her a small smile in return before turning to watch the other soldiers. They look like they’re having trouble getting the large metal spike into the rocky ground, hammers hitting it and bouncing off with loud clangs. They seem tired from the day of travel too, wiping their brows and stifling yawns. Lena feels the familiar pull towards the knight as she nervously runs her hand along the handle of her sword.

Kara worries at her bottom lip as she watches one of the women hit the spike especially hard, only succeeding in knocking it slightly crooked. The captain catches Kara’s eye, and shakes her head ‘no’ at an unspoken question. Kara pouts.

“Alex, may I please help them?” She asks softly, the warmth in her voice a bit cooled by restraint. The captain, Alex, sighs in annoyance and tenses back up. 

“Kara, how will they learn if you do everything for them? You make them too reliant on you.”

“At this rate they’ll be here all night.” Kara quips stubbornly, wincing as one of the soldiers falls to a knee in exhaustion as the rest continue to pound at the large spike. A muscle in Alex’s jaw flexes.

“Then they shall be here all night, Kara.” She replies coldly, narrowing her eyes at the blonde knight. Kara looks hesitant, before flashing an apologetic look over her shoulder at her captain as she steps forward towards the group of soldiers, waving them out of the way. Lena can sense Alex’s anger at Kara’s disobedience, hands now at her side clenched into fists. Pushing her sleeve out of the way, Kara winds up with her bare hand and sinks the spike all the way into the ground with one good punch. She straightens up, looking unaffected as she moves her golden hair out of her face as Lena tries not to let her mouth fall open in awe. Alex motions for the soldiers to dismiss, but holds out a hand as Kara moves to join them. The captain whispers under her breath something only Kara, (and Lena for that matter) are able to hear even after the rest are out of earshot. 

“Just because you are my sister does not mean you can disobey my orders, Kara. I am still your captain. Act accordingly.” She chastises. 

Kara hangs her head in mild embarrassment, avoiding the other woman’s piercing eyes. Shuffling her feet a bit she opens her mouth to respond, but Alex cuts her off.

“I know you think I am unfair to them, making them do work that would be simple for you, but you can’t be everywhere at once. They need to be able to fight for themselves. You can’t just intervene and fix everything for them.” 

At this Kara looks up to meet Alex’s eyes, her features darkening. 

“Why should I not help? Why should I not make things easier for everyone? Isn’t that why I am here?”

“Because Kara!” Alex snaps, pinching the bridge of her nose in irritation, “It is not your responsibility to save everyone! And as much as you want to, you can not. I won’t have your guilt over that consuming you.” The two stare at each other in tense silence, and Lena almost feels like she’s intruding. Almost. Alex seems to break first, dismissing Kara with a sigh and nod of her head towards the heart of camp.

“Go with the others, Kara. Find something to eat.” Kara’s face brightens at this, which she tries to hide beneath a stubborn expression, not quite ready to move on from their disagreement. Alex rolls her eyes at the failed attempt and crosses her arms over her chest. 

“I care about you, fool. Do not look at me like that.” Kara’s expression falters, and she gives her sister a more neutral look before stepping forward and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I know.” She admits, stepping away and turning to casually walk backward towards the camp. “Are you coming as well? You need to eat too, Alex.” Alex shrugs, looking towards the armory tent.

“I have a few things to set up here, but I’ll be along soon.” Kara shoots her a skeptical look. 

“Alright,” She concedes, still walking backwards, “But if you aren’t at the fire by nightfall I’m coming right back here and cramming the food down your throat.” 

Alex laughs at that, waving Kara away and walking back towards the tent, not dignifying the statement with a response. 

Lena feels the call of her woods, and after a long day of witness, she relents. The last thing she sees before the ground underneath her shifts is Kara, looking back over her shoulder in confusion at the treeline. 

_Sorry Kara_ , she thinks to herself, _Perhaps next time our paths will cross._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh hey look I'm backkkkk...I have no idea where this story is going but it's sure fun to write.


	3. they meet again

Lena is called back once again to the camp early in the morning of the next day, appearing by the far end in the woods. She can hear the soldiers going through a series of drills in their makeshift training area just past the thicket, but as usual the gods have an aversion to placing her exactly where she needs to be, so with a huff she creeps through the trees to the sounds of fighting. The first thing she notices when she reaches the edge of the thicket and the soldiers come into sight just beyond her is the feeling of the call. 

The intensity of its effects do not feel the same today. Not like she had become accustomed to. It feels lighter, pressing into the backs of her eyes again, but not like the day of travel, where she had been constantly aware of it, antagonized by almost catching Kara’s eye. Nor is it like the day she first talked to Kara, where it had burned through her like fire, almost painful with the way it raced through her veins before ceasing all together. As her eyes scan the group of soldiers before her, taking in their posture and image, she figures a best guess as to why. 

Kara does not appear to be among them. The goddess tries to ignore the mild disappointment she feels at that.

Kara’s sister, however, is a very present figure in the scene before her. She stands tall and looks it, despite being the average height, with her dark eyes appraising the duos of soldiers as they spar. Bringing her fingers to her lips she blows out a shrill whistle, the soldiers stopping their respective fights to line up in front of her. Now brandishing a long sword that makes up for any other part of her that would be seen as non threatening, Alex looks the part of a Captain. It eases Lena’s mind, in a way, that the inexperienced troop appears to have such a competent leader. Perhaps they will not get slaughtered. Her very presence commands a strong sense of respect from the soldiers, who, although looking tired and still half asleep, give their best effort at standing at attention. The early morning sun glints off her auburn hair and her tarnished armor as she motions for the tall dark knight, the one in the purple tunic that Lena recognized from the battle at the border, to the front of the crowd to help with her demonstration. Her shoulders pull back and she addresses the men and women with a loud voice. 

“There are three qualities of a good sword fighter, which you all should have interest in being if you want to live through your first battle.” She starts, turning towards the tall knight as he draws his sword, the metal ringing out as it slides out of its sheath. “Strong stance,” She shouts as the knight lunges at her suddenly, catching his blade on her cross guard before she uses the strength of her legs to push and throw him backward. He regains his footing quickly, coming at her again with another lunge. “Quick feet,” she continues, engaging in and parrying a few clashes with the man, the loud sound of the swords ringing like thunder as they collide with each other, before she maneuvers quickly to the side to dodge a particularly strong downward slice that proves her point as he stumbles forward with his own momentum. “And,” She shouts, grabbing the knight’s arm and impressively flipping him over onto the ground with a loud thud that Lena would have heard even without her divine hearing, “going for the kill.” She stands above the knight now, pointing the end of her sword against his neck, fixing the soldiers with a withering glare before extending a hand and helping the knight to his feet. The soldiers shoot each other nervous looks. Lena would have laughed, had it not given away her position in the treeline. With Alex’s nod towards the armory tent, they begin to shuffle forward to arm themselves for the next part of the drills. 

Lena watches them spar for a while, observing their skill, but it’s not long until she begins to get bored watching the soldiers struggle though their drills. They are like children, and they make Lena uncomfortable, knowing they are fated to battle. The wind shifts and Lena searches for the smell of bloodshed on the soldiers again, just to make herself certain of their greenness, and at first she finds none, but then that same overwhelming stink of pain hits her from far away. 

The goddess’s eyes water and she screws her face up in disgust, distancing herself and her divinity from her senses. The call is back. An insistent prickle on the backs of her eyes and on her skin returns as a familiar blonde makes an appearance. Lena fights off a pleased smile, despite the foul smell and unpleasant prickling. 

"Ah, there you are Kara", she says to herself.

Everyone seems to turn to Kara as she arrives at the edge of the scene, looking handsome in ever polished armor with the bright seal shining across her chest and her blonde hair back in a simple braid. Even in the overcast day she seems to shine softly, like a far away star. Alex, however, looks impassive and stern as her sister takes a place by her side and leans in close to whisper something in her ear. Lena has had enough experience with mortals to see when two are still quarreling with each other. They talk to each other in hushed tones, and although Lena could hear what they are saying from so far away if she wanted to, she hesitates in letting her power go again to listen. Kara the beloved seems all too aware of her, and the last thing she wants is to reveal her hiding spot in front of all the soldiers.   
Alex says something to Kara that must displease her, because a small crinkle appears between her eyebrows. Despite her obvious hesitation she draws her sword and begins to spar with the other soldiers, switching out pairs and aiding in demonstrations with a nod from Alex. 

Lena takes a moment to observe her as she spars. 

After a few minutes go by, it becomes evident that the stories about the chosen one that have found her ear over the past few months are... inaccurate. At least in their way of describing the way she fights. While many of the other nights fight with fear or anger, Kara only takes it as far as she has to. Lena supposes with her strength she is allowed that kind of choice, that leeway to choose the effort with which to disarm her opponents. For a knight who reeks of death, her aim should be true, cutting down opponents with strength and awe that the stories tell of. But Kara makes no such movements, instead making nonlethal shots even in practice and not fighting with any rage like the other men, Lena notices.   
It’s not at all what she expected. It’s fascinating, in fact. The way she moves like her sword is a part of her, the way the steel flashes against kind, soulful blue eyes. It’s strategy and humility, cautiousness even, not might and bright ego. 

Lena finds herself quite caught up by this, leaning into the tree she hides behind to get closer, watching as Kara twirls and twists and holds her own, all while being attractively focused. The call has subsided, almost as if Kara’s intensity has made her less detectable by Lena’s divine energy. 

The goddess is so caught up, in fact, that when a hand taps her shoulder from behind she starts in such surprise that the bark underneath her hand burns with a burst of energy. Lena turns around quickly, robes now smoking spectacularly at the edges at threat of catching fire, and meets the eyes of a very old friend. 

The other goddess stands before her with an all too amused grin, golden brown eyes shining behind the coal black, cage-like mask that covers them, a matching accessory to the black armor covering the rest of her. Lena finds herself startled at it’s intensity, finding it’s darkness hard to look directly as its energy emanates from the skull crest on her breastplate while her friend is in a more powerful state of being. Sensing her discomfort, the armored goddess waves a hand in front of her face. Her mask, once solid, turns into a vapor that blows away on the morning breeze when she touches it, gone until it is summoned again, and she restrains her powers. 

“Reign.” Lena greets fondly, jesting with the use of her friend’s formal title. She receives an eye roll in response. 

“Goddess of war,” Sam greets back easily in turn with Lena’s own formal name, “Is that what they are calling us these days in the house of worship?” Lena smiles at her again, feeling herself relax and stepping away from the burned tree.

“It is good to see you Sam, what brings you here?” Lena asks, reaching forward to grab her forearm in a handshake, which Sam returns warmly. 

“Lena dearest, who else would drag me to the middle of nowhere with only vague prompting?” Sam answers with a question of her own, waving her hand and sighing dramatically. 

“The gods called you?” Lena asks with a curious frown. “Isn’t war my domain, Samantha? I assume you’d be busy, what with all this recent bloodshed leaving so many women to raise children without their husbands and wives by their side. Do the gods see fit to take you away from your patronage over the single mothers that this war is creating?”   
Sam shifts uncomfortably, black cloak fluttering a bit over her shoulder as the teasing smile falls just the slightest. 

“Ah, unfortunately you are correct in that regard, Lena. Much on the contrary to my insistence, the gods remind me that I am also the goddess of negotiation, not just the protector of maternity. I have been taken from my service in the aid of motherhood to see over the negotiations at the war table in this camp.”  
Lena gives her a sympathetic smile, understanding how being summoned from her true calling in such turbulent times must hurt her friend’s heart. Sam has a similar experience to Lena’s, sharing the same frustrations with the gods that she does. Apparently Lena is not the only minor goddess whom the gods do not often speak to, and when they do it is often to call them away with little explanation. Finding Sam had made existence much more tolerable, much less lonely. Their paths have crossed many times in the last hundred years or so, wars that need observing going hand in hand with strong women left alone in the homelands for Sam to watch over. 

“You share my frustrations, I am sure.” Sam says, tossing her cloak over her back and letting down her long hair so it frames her face. “I know you would much rather be in your forest and not spying on mortals...that is,” Sam pauses, eyes wandering over her friend’s shoulder to the soldiers through the trees, “unless the mortal you are set to watch in particular is as pretty as they say she is.” She winks suggestively at Lena, elbowing her playfully in her side. “And what pretty mortals you have been sent to watch… have you been enjoying the view?” She trails off, tone changing from teasing to genuine interest as she steps beside Lena, joining her and looking through the gaps in the branches. Lena feels a strange, unnameable discomfort tug at the pit of her stomach at the thought of Sam now watching Kara, assessing how pretty she is or isn’t. Her cheeks burn, and she’s about to wave her friend’s statement off with an excuse of just doing what the gods have asked of her, but she sees Sam’s eyes have rested clearly on Alex. They track the brunette as she moves through the demonstration of a drill. Now that Lena thinks about it, she’s exactly Sam’s type. She fights back what must be a very smug looking smile.

“Ah, now who is it that is enjoying the view?”

Sam rolls her eyes, feigning aloof annoyance, but a light blush appears on her cheeks at being caught that gives her away. Lena leans up against the tree, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at her friend, smugness making her confident. 

“Do you care to know her name?” She asks in a lilting charm. Sam stares off distractedly before she seems to remember Lena is there.

“Oh no,” She shakes her head, eyes flicking back and forth from Lena to the captain mischievously as she bites her lip. “I think I shall find out for myself.” 

Before Lena can process the remark, Sam’s divine armor begins to shift, her black cloak shortening and chainmail appearing beneath. The skull on her chest smooths, and soon Sam stands before her looking very much like a mortal war captain. A disguise she has used many times before. Without another word she moves to step out of the trees. Lena balks at her in shock before jumping to action.

“Sam! Get back here!” She hisses, reaching for her arm before she can break through the cover of the thicket. She just misses it, her fingertips grazing the other goddess’s sleeve, and she is unable to stop Sam from crushing through the underbrush. Unfazed by her friend’s panic, Sam shoots her a dazzling smile over her shoulder, waving her on as she moves branches out of her way. 

“Come on Lena, this will be so much fun!” She laughs, stepping out of Lena’s view and into the clearing. Lena could kill her for her recklessness. She definitely hadn’t planned to reveal herself to mortals today, but apparently her friend hasn’t given her much of a choice in the matter. In a panic she shifts her appearance to that of an assistant, making sure to complement Sam’s disguise as best she can as her ash cloak becomes a simple traveling tunic. She stumbles after the goddess of maternity, teeth grinding in agitation as her wrath burns just below her skin. 

“Sam! You cannot flirt with the chosen one’s sister!” Lena whispers fiercely through her lips as she catches up to her side, punching her on the arm discreetly. She wishes they weren’t in view of the soldiers so she could drop her energy sapping mortal disguise and hit her friend with enough force to actually get the point across. Perhaps sending her friend sliding across the ground on her ass for the next mile would knock some sense into her like it had the last time she’d pulled a stunt such as this. Sam just smirks, watching Alex with the bright eyes of a lovesick maiden. 

“She’s the chosen one’s sister?” She asks distractedly, smoothing down her hair. Lena rolls her eyes. 

“Yes! Now abandon this half witted approach before she sees you! You can’t just walk up to a group of soldiers without warning!”

“Actually I can. In fact, watch me do so.” She responds easily.

“I am going to kill you Samantha.” Lena growls from her side. Across the field, Alex sees them approaching from a distance and stands at attention, stopping all the soldiers with a sharp whistle and drawing her sword. Kara immediately comes to her side, and Lena’s stomach does a sort of flutter. The captain and the chosen one hurriedly approach them, meeting her and Sam between the treeline and the training ground. Lena hears the whispers of the gods in her ears as Kara gets closer, and wills all her energy into her disguise, desperately hoping Kara can’t sense her. Sam’s smile just grows. The ground underneath Lena’s feet withers. 

“State your business with the Luthor Army.” Alex says in a loud, clear voice, holding her sword threateningly. Sam clears her throat.

“Captain Arias, ma’am.” Sam nods her head in greeting. “I’m here unaccompanied, ahead of my troops on the southern border. I’ve been sent by the king to discuss strategy on the upcoming battles of your troop.” 

Lena feels a humm in the air, and the hair on the back of her neck stands up as Sam’s power thrums through it. She can see the shift in Alex’s eyes, see the way she relaxes and drops her guard. Power of suggestion has always been one of Sam’s particularly helpful gifts. Lena can clearly remember when she had used it to commandeer an entire fleet of ships in the middle of a sea battle that Lena had been sent to witness. 

Alex blinks a few times, confused, before sheathing her sword with a new sense of clarity as Sam’s power lulls her into a state of peaceful acceptance. 

“Ah, yes. I am captain Danvers. This is my sister, Kara.” Alex speaks much more softly, gesturing to where Kara stands besides her. Lena nods politely but does not look at Kara directly, focusing all her energy on keeping up her disguise. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. If you and your,” Alex hesitates, foggy eyes cutting to Lena once, “...assistant, would please follow me to the base of our camp.” Sam snickers at this. Lena is definitely going to kill her. They step forward towards the camp, but Kara steps between them, hand on her sword and standing tall.

“Alex,” she says tensely over her shoulder, “how are we to believe they are who they say they are? You would just let them walk in?”  
Sam stiffens next to her, not accustomed to being met with resistance. She clears her throat and more of her power of suggestion enters the air.

“We are here on the king’s orders, I assure you.” Sam says, taking another step. Kara’s hand grips her sword and she slides it threateningly out of it’s sheath a few inches. 

“We heard no mention of your arrival in our correspondence.”

Lena sighs deeply, now realizing that she has to intervene, and finally looks up at Kara, letting her disguise slip just enough. Kara’s eyes snap to hers and her mouth falls open in surprise, recognition flashing across her face. Lena can’t help but find it incredibly endearing, especially with the way Kara’s hair is haloed in the light, stray blonde hair that loosed from her brain during sparring falling down to frame her face. She smiles wider when she hears the knight’s heartbeat pick up like it had during their first meeting. She lets go of her sword and slides back into the sheath with a metallic click that makes her jump in surprise, which makes Lena quickly cover her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh. 

“Captains, perhaps you two could continue onward to discuss the plan while Kara accompanies me around the rest of the camp.” She suggests with an easy smile. Sam turns to her in surprise, which she ignores in favor of raising an inquisitive eyebrow at Alex. Alex nods, and without looking at her she offers Sam her arm, and Lena can practically hear how pleased Sam is at the gesture.  
Lena takes another glance at Kara as the group starts to walk towards the tents and sees that she’s still looking thoroughly shocked. She keeps glancing at her out of the corner of her wide eyes, mouth still hanging open slightly. Her hand fidgets with her sword hilt. 

“Nice to see you again.” Lena whispers teasingly. Kara blushes to the roots of her hair and trips over her own feet before smiling timidly at her.

“You too, Lena.” She whispers.


	4. Tents and fields

Captain Arias leans over the map in front of them, stark black armor seeming to absorb the rest of the low light in the council tent. Her eyes scan it over and over, as if in the last three hours of their meeting they had both overlooked something. Across from her, Alex watches as she looks over the details of the map.

“And the drafted negotiations for land that the king has sent you are dependent on this?” She asks aloud, more to herself than to Alex. Alex nods even though the captain isn’t looking at her to see it, studying the figures on the table intensely still. The red marker that represents Alex’s troop and their camp here sits a few days of travel away from the border of the kingdom they are currently at war with.

“It seems the orders are to press forward even if met with resistance.” She answers, having to think of her answer for longer than she ought to. Her thoughts feel clouded for some reason. Perhaps it is the lack of sleep, she thinks to herself. Captain Arias straightens up, watching the pieces on the map thoughtfully as she steeples her fingers in front of her.

“The country King Luthor seeks to take won’t accept the negotiations he has sent with you.” She says tiredly. Alex blinks at her before straightening up a bit, suddenly feeling defensive at how sure the other sounds.

“Do you know that for certain?” She challenges mildly, agitation creeping into her voice. Captain Arias looks up at her, and when their eyes meet, a strange sense of calm washes over Alex.

“I theorize that King Luthor is reliant on it. If they reject the negotiation, it will be all too easy to turn the border into a battlefield.” She says with the certainty of someone who has already seen it happen.

“May I see them?”

Alex sees no immediate harm in letting the other captain take a look at the papers of negotiation, besides it being a waste of time in the long run. Turning to retrieve them from a trunk in the corner of the tent and coming back to the table, she’s surprised to see that Captain Arias has moved to stand by her side. It makes a small voice in the back of Alex's mind murmur something, but she clears her throat, intent on returning her focus to the matter at hand. She lays the papers onto the map in front of the other woman, who gives her an almost warm smile before her intense brown eyes begin looking them over. After a few moments of reading, the other woman straightens up, turning to Alex with an unreadable look on her face.

“I do not think these will be enough to prevent your troop from going to war once you reach the border.” She says evenly. A sinking feeling hits Alex’s stomach at this, and she averts her eyes, shaking her head.

“This can not be so. Perhaps there is something here that we have missed.” She says, moving the papers around and re-reading the lines. She is stopped by a gentle hand on her shoulder, and she turns in surprise at the touch. Captain Arias’s stare seems to look through her, grounding her in place with it’s clarity as the warmth in her hand seems to flow through Alex’s armor. Suddenly she is very aware of their closeness.

“I read it all twice.” She says softly, removing her hand and placing it next to Alex’s on the table. Alex runs her other hand through her hair in defeat, turning to lean back against the table. Captain Arias mirrors her.

“This is disparaging news.” She says simply. Captain Arias nods understandingly.

“It is hard, is it not?” She asks, voice taking on a soft cadence. At the shift in tone, Alex turns to look at the other woman. Her long hair falls over her shoulders softly, cutting a mahogany line through the armor at her shoulder. “Training them as we do, leading them, preparing them, as if they are our own. Only to deliver them to dangers we never feel that we have prepared them for enough.”

Alex nods slowly, looking at the other woman as they both loose themselves in their respective thoughts.

"Your troop, do you feel as if they are your own?" Alex asks, still watching the woman closely. She has a certain magnetism about her, an almost warm conviction. It is certainly helped by her beauty. It's almost unfitting for a war captain. She lacks the hardened exterior most have in war, after years of service. Alex can't decide if it is because she does not care what those around her think, or if it is truly how she presents herself. Either way, it is undeniably intriguing.

"Yes, especially the young ones." She sighs in a fond answer, pulling Alex's mind back to the present. "I feel as if you can agree on that." She adds, reaching between them and placing her hand on Alex's shoulder again before dropping it.

The turn of the conversation seems more personal than she should be comfortable with. The distance that they are standing seems too close for strangers. Everything about this woman should throw her off, but ever since Alex had looked her in the eyes, it has all felt natural. As if they have known each other for years.

“If war is to be presumed unavoidable, perhaps it would be better to prepare for it prematurely.” Alex muses, trying to silence the voice in her head that grows louder as the other captain seems to shift closer to her.

“So you intend to attack at the northern border of the neighboring kingdom?” Sam asks curiously. Alex turns to face her once more, holding her eyes for a beat longer than what would be considered normal. She blames it on her clouded thoughts.

“My orders were to lead these recruits northward, to prepare them for what they might encounter. If that is to be a battle, then it will be so. But I have no plans to head an attack directly. Not with how green they are.”

"You worry for them?" She asks. Alex breaks her stare, looking away and towards the floor. After taking a measured breath, Alex responds.

"I always worry."

There’s another beat of tense silence between them, but that same feeling of calm washes over Alex, and she feels a soft weight on her hand. Looking down, she sees that Captain Arias has boldly reached between them and placed her hand on Alex’s. She stares at their joined hands before slowly returning the handhold, looking back up into the captain’s eyes.

“If you are leading them, Captain Danvers, I have the impression that they will do well.” She says softly. Alex blinks in confusion at her as they hold each other's eye. Everything in her is saying that this behavior is strange, but her hand feels pleasant in her own.

“You seem very bold, Captain Arias.” She says slowly, eyes darting to their hands and then back up to the other's eyes. Captain Arias does not look away from her, and Alex’s heartbeat starts to race.

“I would like to entertain the idea that you favor the bold.” She whispers softly with a smile that harbors no insincerity. “Am I correct in that assumption?”

Alex can be bold too, so she swipes her thumb across the back of Captain Arias’s hand, eyes flicking to the other woman’s lips briefly as something goes unspoken between them.

“Perhaps.” She answers softly with a cautious smile.

\---

“And this,” Kara gestures to the small tent in front of them with a sweep of her hand, “is the council tent. I assume that is where my sister and your captain are having their discussion.”

Lena gives her a small nod of acknowledgement as they come to the end of their tour of the Luthor camp. Lena watches the young knight as she tilts her head to the side, squinting at the closed opening of the tent as if she can see through it. Lena turns to do the same, letting her divinity slip just the slightest so she can hear the discussion within. It’s Sam’s voice she hears first.

“So you intend to attack at the northern border of the neighboring kingdom?” Sam asks. Beside her, Kara stiffens just the slightest. She hears Kara’s sister sigh heavily.

“My orders were to lead these recruits northward, to prepare them for what they might encounter. If that is to be a battle, then it will be so. I have no plans to head an attack directly. Not with how green they are.” Captain Danvers answers. Lena hears a soft noise, like the sound of fabric moving against itself. Beside her, Kara makes a startled movement with her head, and Lena turns to look at her briefly.

The blonde stares intently at the spot where Lena can sense Sam inside, her mouth pulling down at the corners in an almost amusing frown of confusion. Lena wonders for the second time if Kara the beloved can actually see through the walls.

“If you are leading them, Captain Danvers, I have the impression that they will do well.” Sam complements. The statement is neutral enough, but Lena almost rolls her eyes at the flirtatious tone Sam has used. Lena hears Alex’s heartbeat pick up, and Kara must as well, because with a small sound of surprise she turns away from the tent altogether, looking shy. The goddess has to be sure of her suspicions, so she decides to ask.

“Kara?” She says. The knight straightens immediately, looking at her head on with the same nervous energy she had during their first meeting. Lena smiles easily at her.

“Yes, Lena?”

“Can you see through the walls of the tent?” the goddess asks. Kara looks a bit caught, the tips of her ears turning pink. She nods. Interesting. Lena had not known that was one of her abilities. It appears Kara continues to surprise.

“What are they doing?”

Kara seems to squirm at the question, as if Lena had asked her what color her undergarments were.

“They are holding hands.” She mutters, clearly confused at this behavior. Lena rolls her eyes with a laugh, familiar with the effects of Sam’s suggestion. At this Kara turns to look at her more directly, brightening just the slightest as her blue eyes look at Lena with hesitant wonder.

“Forgive me Lena but, may I inquire as to why you are here with a war captain?” She asks curiously. Lena raises an eyebrow at her and begins walking away from the tent with Kara in tow.

“What? Are you not happy to see me so soon?” She teases. Kara sends her an easy smile.

“On the contrary, I thought I would never see you again after our last meeting. It is not every day that one meets a-” She starts before cutting herself off with a glance around at the other soldiers surrounding them.

“The goddess of war?” Lena whispers in answer, only loud enough for Kara to hear next to her. Kara nods. Lena can sense that Kara would like to have a discussion of some sorts, and although her mortal disguise is dampening the call she feels whenever Kara is near, it has once again become insistent. Lena would much prefer if they return to the clearing so that she can talk openly, if they are to talk at all. They pass more tents and shelters, soldiers waving at Kara as she passes, their eyes passing over Lena just as her disguise allows them too. Kara nods respectfully to each one in turn as they make their way back towards the training grounds.

“Should we be going so far away from your captain? I would hate to get you into trouble.” Kara says, shooting a worried glance back towards the meeting tent. Her concern humors Lena, to say the least. ' _As if Sam has any control over me_ ', she thinks to herself. Her agitation at Sam also comes back as she is reminded of the events of this morning.

“It is the captain you should worry for Kara.” Lena says, her disguise slipping just the slightest as her sleeve starts to smoke. “And to answer your inquiry from earlier, well, I regret saying it, but I do not always know why the gods call me where they do.” Lena explains. Kara huffs at this, kicking at the dirt a bit as they continue to walk farther away from the tents and the horses and the soldiers. More and more away from it all, until they're almost back to the training area.

“They do not seem willing to explain much.” The knight sighs after a long while. That same look of disappointment flashes across her face, the one Lena saw when she had told Kara she did not know why the gods had called them to meet.

“I am glad I am not the only one who shares these frustrations.” Lena offers as a comfort. Kara almost smiles at this, but as they cast their eyes back towards the direction of camp, Kara bites her lip in worry.

“Lena?” She asks softly, unease creeping into her voice.

“Yes Kara?” Lena answers, sensing the shift.

“Do you think we can avoid the war at the border? From what you have seen?”

Her voice sounds so small, so quiet out here away from the camp. Behind her eyes Lena sees the flashes of swords, smells the blood on the wind, the cries of villagers and soldiers alike.

“I can not say for certain Kara, but I hope you do. I would avoid the fight if I was able.”

“With my gifts, isn’t there an unspoken agreement that I will fight? Is that not why I was created?” She asks softly, turning towards Lena again. Suddenly it makes much more sense why Kara inquires about her genesis. The longs for clarity, a reason as to why she has been ushered into action that so clearly brings her heart conflict. Lena wishes she had the answer she seeks. Lena wishes Kara the beloved could stay beloved by all.


	5. Taverns and Moonlight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a longer one for y'all :)

Kara is visiting a tavern with the other soldiers as they continue on toward the battle front. She had not wanted to go. There is growing unrest and instability in the people of the land the closer they march towards the conflicts at the border, and it hurts her heart to see it in their eyes. Each person is a light, each person is a soul, just as the teachings of Rao would have her believe, and Kara can scarcely bear to see how they flicker, how they cut their eyes at her and her fellow man. They all look at the crest on her breastplate, for they no doubt have heard the stories the other soldiers tell. Kara is known without her own consent. Kara is not allowed to go anywhere in these lands unrecognized. 

It comes with its own dangers.

The attack happens suddenly, as they usually do. Kara wishes that her words had calmed the man, like she intended them too, but some hurt can’t be absolved by words.

And she has hurt this man. Just as she has hurt so many.

“You were the soldier that killed my brother at the battle of King Luthor last winter.” He had said. His words were clear, although spoken through clenched teeth and a sneer of disdain, delivering themselves on breath that reeks of ale. Behind her the other soldiers had risen from their seats in defense, but Kara waves them off. This is not their sin, they must not answer for it.  
The man brings his sword down powerfully through the air. Kara’s face twists with distress as she puts a hand up to stop it. The blade is caught between her thumb and pointer finger. She knows that if she were anyone else, it would have cut her hand clean through, but she is of wretched steel, so it simply does not. Stopped immediately in its path like a ship running aground over harsh rocks, the dull sound of it’s reverberation seems to echo. With a twist she snaps the thing in half and tosses it to the floor. The room stills before it erupts in scandalized whispers at this, villagers shrinking back in awe. Kara pays the rest of the patrons no mind, instead she fixes her eyes on the man, who now looks terrified of retaliation. 

“I am sorry for your loss.” She apologises. She must always apologize. What else can she do? 

It is when he realizes that she will not strike him that the man spits in her face. Shortly after he is thrown out onto the street outside, her companions hear none of her pleas to just let the man be. 

“Please sit with us Kara, the man won’t return.” Winn urges, eyeing her carefully. Beside him, James does the same. She admires her friends for these moments, but there is not much they can say to sway her heart. They must sense her hesitancy, because they guide her to a nearby table without asking her again regardless. She lets them. It takes a time, but soon they lapse into a comfortable conversation over ale, the whispers and stares of the villagers around slowly fading into the din. 

\---

“You know you do not have to drink with us Kara. We could send for food.” James says when she accepts another round from the bar maiden. The ale does nothing for Kara, no matter how much she drinks, and they both know how much she dislikes the taste. Winn says that it is a good thing, because if it did, she would perhaps turn out to be a drunk. Beside him Winn laughs into his mug at James’ suggestion.

“And have us go broke, Sir James?” He chuckles. A smile graces Kara’s face at her friend's jeer, before her eyes wander back to the bar maiden. 

“I am drinking ale because I want to. Who is to judge how I spend my allowance? Surely not the two of you.” She dismisses halfheartedly. James’s eyes follow hers, and he smiles knowingly. 

“I do not think it is the ale you are in want of, but perhaps the maiden who keeps bringing it to you?” 

Kara chokes on her ale, eyes snapping back to her friend away from where they had been resting on the back of the bar maiden's head. She tries valiantly to figure a sort of believable excuse for her wandering eye, but, finding none, she settles for petulance.

“Silence James.” She mutters. Winn grins into his ale again, cheeks turning a rosy color. Perhaps they are right, but there is a good reason for Kara’s interest. The maiden's hair is that of the goddess’s. Dark in the same midnight way. It had captured her attention as soon as she had sat down in her melancholy state, and her mind had gone from it’s dark place after the attack to thoughts of Lena.  
Not that her mind usually leaves the thoughts of Lena. So naturally, when the maiden had walked past, the clouds had departed for just a moment, and the thought of leaving her friends to drink alone had been reluctantly abandoned so that she could pine like a fool for someone that seems a mear echo of the being she truly wishes to witness tonight. 

“Kara, perhaps you should talk to her?” Winn chuckles drunkenly. Kara is about to adamantly oppose that idea, loudly, with vigor, but before she can attempt it, her two friends share a villainous look, and James ruthlessly scoots over on the bench. He collides solidly into Kara, his ale sloshing messily over the rim of his mug and splashing over the table. Catching her off guard, she is shoved off the seat completely, falling spectacularly onto the floor of the bar with a loud thud. To her utter mortification, the eyes of the tavern patrons turn on her for the second time in one night. Then suddenly, the maiden is at her side. 

“Are you alright?” She asks, looking down at Kara. Kara stares up at her, blinking. Her eyes. Her eyes are not green like the goddess. 

“I am alright,” She blunders, trying to stand but having difficulty finding purchase on the slick floor, “I believe I just need some air.”  
Before her mind can catch up the maiden gives her a pleasant smile, reaching forward to help Kara to her feet. 

“Let me walk you?” She asks with a shy smile, still holding Kara’s arm. Kara nods, not trusting her mouth to work with the way the maiden is so close, with the way her hair falls over her shoulders in the same way it seems to do with Lena. She can hear over the din of the tavern that Winn and James are more than pleased with themselves, and she plans to fully return the favor at first light tomorrow. Perhaps being carried away and awaking a mile from camp in their sleep shorts will dissuade them from pulling such tricks in the future. 

They are through the tavern soon, the door of the establishment swinging open to allow Kara and the woman to move through to stand on the cool street outside. 

“Thank you for your help, but I do not want you to take me for a drunk. I am capable of walking, in case that was where your worry lay.” Kara hasens to explain, feeling the blush on her face. To her surprise, the woman laughs at her, fixing kind eyes to hers. 

“Anyone could tell that you were miserable, not drunk. You looked as if you could use a rescue.” She suggests, a blush of her own dusting her cheekbones as she clasps her hands behind her back. Kara stares at her for the second time, finding herself a bit embarrassed at being so thoroughly read by a stranger. 

“Was it that obvious?” She finds herself asking as the silence between them stretches on. Sadness pulls at her, and the smile she attempts hits the rocks as the maiden gives her a concerned look of pity. 

“In my experience,” The maiden starts kindly, putting a hand on Kara’s shoulder, “there are only three things that cause a traveler surrounded by friends in my tavern not to smile. Would you like to hear them?” 

Kara nods, finding herself curious. 

“They are either tired from travel, missing a place that they have been, or missing someone they have met. Am I right in any of those accords?” She asks in a tone that tells Kara confirmation is not needed to prove her right. Kara gives her another weak smile, and her eyes flash knowingly. 

“I find myself asking how it is possible to miss someone I have only met but a few times.” Kara admits, reaching up to scratch the back of her neck self consciously. Thoughts of Lena flood her mind. Thoughts of green eyes like the grass in spring, of pale skin and the teasing way the corner of the goddess’s smile quirks when Kara allows herself to look. Boldly darting forward and snapping her from her thoughts, the maiden places a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth, and Kara feels herself blush furiously as the maiden draws away. 

“You seem a kind soul, you did not strike the man who attacked you earlier. Perhaps you should spend the rest of your night finding an answer to your question.” The woman says with a laugh, nodding politely and moving past Kara wordlessly to go back into the loud, crowded tavern. 

Kara is at a loss as to what to do for a minute, being left alone out in the street, but as soon as the first words of prayer are past her lips, she feels a familiar tug in her chest, and for the first time that night, she finds her feet lead her forward. 

\---

Lena is out in the woods just outside the camp when she feels the call pressing against her mind, and soon without preamble Kara comes through the trees. The goddess blinks, surprised at the sight of the mortal. Although it is not an unwelcome sight. 

“Ah, goddess Lena, I was hoping I’d find you here.” She says simply, as if they do this kind of thing every day. 

“Kara? The gods sent you?” She asks, surprised. Lena has never been sought out by the knight, except in their first encounter. Kara shrugs tiredly. Something about her seems wrong, the goddess notices. The beloved’s eyes do not shine, her shoulders are dropped. Perhaps it is because... 

“They did not say much, I could not make it out. I did not even know which one had spoken to me. It was...unkind. Distant.” She trails off, wiping at her face and sniffling. She takes a step past the trees into a beam of moonlight, and the goddess's heart twists as she sees the tears on Kara’s face.

Lena has the misfortune of understanding completely how it can feel, being called out to by the gods in this way. One would think being spoken to by the creators would give one a marvelous sense of purpose, a confirmation of faith and the truth of the universe that most mortals only dream of, dedicating themselves to hours of prayer on their knees, or calling out when their hearts are breaking at the worst times of their lives. But the voices have a horrid way of making your soul cold, leaving you with more questions than when you started with. A distant kind of shove in the dark towards a direction with no clarification, only to leave you in the dark still, questioning if you had actually been pushed, or if you had simply tripped over your own feet. This is why Lena and Sam have never entertained the idea of adding their voice to the chorus of chaos through the centuries, despite the many times they have been invited to do so.

“What did you make out of it then?” Lena questions, because there must be a reason for her wandering. Kara looks thoughtful at this, shifting from one foot to another, but quickly she becomes frustrated. Lena understands, there is often not a satisfying answer to many things in this life. 

“I just felt that I was free to seek you out if I so chose, and so, I ceased praying to Rao for answers and let myself find you.” 

She prays to Rao? The goddess thinks curiously. Her mind recalls the voice of Rao in her ear, urging her on into the clearing, rising above the rest of the god’s voices. Perhaps it is not the gods, but one god, that sends her to observe Kara. A shepherd sending a scout to watch over a stray member of their flock. But then if that were true, why had they all spoken to her in unison? Lena would much prefer it if the thought was confirmed by the god themselves, but Lena knows better than to expect any kind of direct clarification after years of being ignored. Her questions will stay exactly that, as questions. 

“I am glad to see you,” Lena says, giving her a hesitant smile, “I know the night has been a trial for you.”

Kara’s eyes lower at this, the tips of her ears turning pink as she grips the handle of her sword nervously. Lena smiles at this, finding it strange. An invincible warrior finding comfort in something she could easily shatter with her bare hands. 

“You saw?” She asks quietly, voice breaking a bit. Clarification is not needed, Lena knows exactly what she is asking. 

“I see many things. I see many wars, and many battles at that, even the ones people wage in their hearts. That man was fighting his own battle.” 

The knight shuffles a bit more, giving her a wry smile that twists into a scowl.

“He seemed to be fighting a battle to keep his spit in his mouth.” She mutters. Lena laughs brightly at that, humored by the look on the knight’s face in memory. Stepping forward, she reaches out and touches Kara’s tearstained face, gliding the pad of her thumb along her cheek where the disgraced man had spat. 

“Unfortunately, some men insist on spitting on things they fear such as scripture and great works of art... such as a face like yours.” Lena muses, letting her hand burn against Kara’s skin for just a moment before dropping it back to her side. Kara’s eyes darken just the slightest at this, and the goddess of war once again hears her heart quicken. 

“Will you walk with me?” Kara asks softly, eyes darting to the dark path through the trees that lay in front of them. “Your company would be a much welcome development to my night.” 

Lena smiles at her, and finds there is no possible world where the goddess would decline such an offer from Kara the beloved. Wordlessly she inclines her head and begins to walk, Kara falling in stride.  
It is quite some time before Lena feels confident that hedging a conversation would be well received. The hurt comes off Kara in waves, but it seems the night air and the forest around them does them both good. As they weave through the tall trees, the moon darts in and out of cloud cover, illuminating the cold frost forming on the ground in front of them and lighting the fog from their breath as the stars unfold above them. Lena cannot feel the cold, but it does not seem to bother Kara either, which comes as less of a surprise to the goddess, given her other abilities. It is not until the crickets start their song and the wind moving through the trees lessens it's temperament that the goddess of war tries... a joke. 

“You know Kara, I do not think I have ever met a mortal quite like you. Who else would go god hunting in the woods at night, sobbing as they do so?”

Kara hums at the jest, to Lena’s great relief. 

“I have never met a goddess such as you. What goddess waits in the woods to be hunted?" Kara returns, "Then again, I have not met another goddess.”

Lena is mildly surprised at the surety in Kara’s voice, despite the statement being untrue as of a week ago.

“Kara, beloved, of course you have.” She turns to look at the knight curiously as she contradicts her. “However briefly, you have met my friend, Captain Arias.” She explains. Kara looks at her in mild confusion, the endearing crinkle appearing between her eyebrows, mouth pulled into an ‘o’ shape. Lena stares at her, waiting for realization to dawn on the blonde, but no recognition flashes in her eyes in the long stretch of silence. A spark of amusement alights in the goddess’s chest. “Could you not tell? Did the gods not speak to you like they had done before our meeting?” The goddess asks in surprise. Kara shakes her head, huffing a bit and gesturing about with her hands. 

“No, I have not heard from them since then. I assure you I had no warning whatsoever that you were going to come strolling-” She cuts off her ramble before she really gets going, suddenly turning to Lena with a start, halting their walk. “Captain Arias?” 

Lena blinks at her.

“She’s Sam. You met Sam.” 

Kara’s eyes widen in the low light as she stops dead in her tracks. 

“That woman was Sam?! The goddess of motherhood?” She clarifies, voice creeping up an octave in shock. Lena nods in confirmation, suppressing a laugh at the knight’s bewilderment. Kara stops to lean against a tree, her armor hitting it with a thunk as she re-orientates her mind, staring blankly into the air in front of her. Lena indulges her a few seconds of silence to process. 

“Golly, she looks different than her statues… ” Kara sighs, running her hands through her hair, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. Lena’s smile drops immediately as she tries to ignore the feeling of discomfort that Kara’s tone of appreciation sets off in her stomach. Promptly deciding that she’s done letting Kara ruminate on the subject, she clears her throat, feeling impatient with herself as she tries to keep her own tone light. 

“You really could not sense her like you sense me?” She asks, genuinely curious as to how Kara had stood by a goddess like Sam and hadn’t noticed, especially with the amount of power she had exuded to calm Alex. Kara snorts at the inquiry, rocking forward off the tree with a smile and turning back onto the path. 

“Lena, I could not even look at her with you by her side.” She answers without hesitation. The corner of Lena’s robe catches on fire in response to this, which she smoothly puts out before the knight can take notice. 

“Why thank you, Kara,” She purrs, snuffing out the embers hastily with her hand and sending the ash through the air. She speeds up her pace just a tick, before adding over her shoulder, “I find you quite distracting as well.” The effect of her words is immediate, and the goddess enjoys how the blonde’s heart rate speeds up at the jest, watching as her foot catches on a tree root that sends her pitching forward into its trunk, the bark cracking ominously at her force as she braces against it. 

For the first time tonight, Kara finds the smile on her face to be genuine.


End file.
